Here is an article from the Monrovia News-Post dated 3/1/78:
Three Monrovia properties Tuesday were deemed public nuisances and
ordered demolished or rehabilitated by the Monrovia City Council.
To be demolished are the Crest Theater building, 205 E. Foothill
Blvd., and the dwellings at 428 E. Walnut Ave. and 421 E. Royal Oaks
Drive.
Constructed in the early 1920s, the Crest Theater building was ordered demolished because of numerous violations of the National Electric Code and the Uniform Building and Fire Code. Violations at the site were found in the form of illegally altered wiring,
broken and missing electrical fixtures, graffiti on the outside of the building, combustible wastes strewn throughout the inside of the building and improperly supported fire hose water lines.
The owner of the Foothill Boulevard property, S.M. Lazarus, asked the city to demolish the Crest Theater rather than allow it to be
rehabilitated or repaired. At the Tuesday meeting, the council complied with Lazarus' wishes and placed a $30,000 lien against the property to pay for demolition.
In 1932, the Fitchburg offered vaudeville shows as well as films, according to the Fitchburg Sentinel. Five acts were presented each Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The advertisement references “RKO Vaudeville” but I don’t know what the actual connection was between the studio and the vaudeville acts. Other theaters in the area were the Strand, Universal and Cumings.
Here are excerpts from an article in the Nebraska State Journal, dated 3/26/39:
Robert Boller Is Theater Architect
Well Known Planner Was Selected to Give Lincoln The Nebraska
No one entering the Nebraska theater Wednesday night, March 29, will see anything to remind them that the house was once the Orpheum.
Two scenes of the theater are shown in the photos above, the much-mirrored foyer with reflecting glass on sides and ceiling, and the main floor seating arrangement. Consultation of leading architects and color experts in theater building make the Nebraska the most modern theater in Lincoln, and newest dedication to audience comfort, entertainment, and homelike surroundings.
Great care has been taken to make the outer lobby and foyer wide and spacious, and at the same time genuinely inviting and attractive, so that the guest or patron who enters the theater will be struck with the unusual idea which Boller carried out. The front of the theater has been completely torn away, and new pilasters, or columns, extend
to the ceiling of the auditorium. New box-office and new entrances
also make a great difference, together with a new wide stairway to the mezzanine floor and balcony. Lounges, stairways, drinking
fountains, furniture and all have been placed to make the Nebraska
truly a warm, distinctive theater.
The marquee, which has five sides, faces both 12th and P streets. The entire sign is vividly lighted with high intensity neon tubing, and each side will carry a three channel attraction display, made of white glass with metal letters.
The building is being used as an antiques shopping center, with the espresso store in the forefront, according to this webpage: http://tinyurl.com/ydgt3q
On 3/21/62, the feature at the Tiffin was “Question 7”, a film about East Germany and the Berlin Wall. The co-feature was Walt Disney’s “The Horse with the Flying Tail”. I’m not sure if the art film crowd sat with the kids through both features, or vice versa, but it was an interesting combination.
The address for the theater was given as 4059 W. North. The phone number was AL 2-7000.
I guess that didn’t come out right. I was suggesting the library as a safe haven, not one prone to tool-yanking, as one contributor so eloquently stated above.
An ad in the Bridgeport Telegram in November 1947 shows the Astor with the addendum “Formerly Capitol”. The feature was “Desert Fury” with Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott and Mary Astor. The co-feature was “Seven Keys to Baldpate”. I have no clue what that film was about.
There was an ad for Warner-Merritt in the 11/18/47 edition of the Bridgeport Telegram. The feature was “That Hagen Girl”, a creepy film starring Ronald Reagan and Shirley Temple. At the end of the movie, you can’t figure out if Ron is her father or her boyfriend.
Here is an article from the Monrovia News-Post dated 3/1/78:
Three Monrovia properties Tuesday were deemed public nuisances and
ordered demolished or rehabilitated by the Monrovia City Council.
To be demolished are the Crest Theater building, 205 E. Foothill
Blvd., and the dwellings at 428 E. Walnut Ave. and 421 E. Royal Oaks
Drive.
Constructed in the early 1920s, the Crest Theater building was ordered demolished because of numerous violations of the National Electric Code and the Uniform Building and Fire Code. Violations at the site were found in the form of illegally altered wiring,
broken and missing electrical fixtures, graffiti on the outside of the building, combustible wastes strewn throughout the inside of the building and improperly supported fire hose water lines.
The owner of the Foothill Boulevard property, S.M. Lazarus, asked the city to demolish the Crest Theater rather than allow it to be
rehabilitated or repaired. At the Tuesday meeting, the council complied with Lazarus' wishes and placed a $30,000 lien against the property to pay for demolition.
In 1932, the Fitchburg offered vaudeville shows as well as films, according to the Fitchburg Sentinel. Five acts were presented each Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The advertisement references “RKO Vaudeville” but I don’t know what the actual connection was between the studio and the vaudeville acts. Other theaters in the area were the Strand, Universal and Cumings.
Here are excerpts from an article in the Nebraska State Journal, dated 3/26/39:
Robert Boller Is Theater Architect
Well Known Planner Was Selected to Give Lincoln The Nebraska
No one entering the Nebraska theater Wednesday night, March 29, will see anything to remind them that the house was once the Orpheum.
Two scenes of the theater are shown in the photos above, the much-mirrored foyer with reflecting glass on sides and ceiling, and the main floor seating arrangement. Consultation of leading architects and color experts in theater building make the Nebraska the most modern theater in Lincoln, and newest dedication to audience comfort, entertainment, and homelike surroundings.
Great care has been taken to make the outer lobby and foyer wide and spacious, and at the same time genuinely inviting and attractive, so that the guest or patron who enters the theater will be struck with the unusual idea which Boller carried out. The front of the theater has been completely torn away, and new pilasters, or columns, extend
to the ceiling of the auditorium. New box-office and new entrances
also make a great difference, together with a new wide stairway to the mezzanine floor and balcony. Lounges, stairways, drinking
fountains, furniture and all have been placed to make the Nebraska
truly a warm, distinctive theater.
The marquee, which has five sides, faces both 12th and P streets. The entire sign is vividly lighted with high intensity neon tubing, and each side will carry a three channel attraction display, made of white glass with metal letters.
End of the road, 1997:
http://tinyurl.com/y7wksw
Here is another photo from 1958:
http://tinyurl.com/y6939s
Here is a 1941 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/y2ane6
Here is some information about the restoration in the 1980s:
http://tinyurl.com/y7luaj
Here is some additional background on this theater:
http://tinyurl.com/y5bap4
Google search provides current info, as far as I know:
Antiques Off Broadway
103 Avenue C
Cloquet, MN 55720
(218) 879-5284
Circa 1973:
http://tinyurl.com/y9wkl5
These are the photos that northstar was referring to:
http://tinyurl.com/ya9lkr
http://tinyurl.com/yj4ee4
Here is a repost of Sean’s 1981 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/ygjz4u
1952:
http://tinyurl.com/yhuaff
1953:
http://tinyurl.com/yzj6ko
The building is being used as an antiques shopping center, with the espresso store in the forefront, according to this webpage:
http://tinyurl.com/ydgt3q
I only know what I read in the papers. Obviously 40 year old back issues may have some inaccuracies, so you are in all probability correct.
An ad in the 3/21/62 edition of the Austin News gives the address as 39 S. LaGrange Road.
On 3/21/62, the feature at the Tiffin was “Question 7”, a film about East Germany and the Berlin Wall. The co-feature was Walt Disney’s “The Horse with the Flying Tail”. I’m not sure if the art film crowd sat with the kids through both features, or vice versa, but it was an interesting combination.
The address for the theater was given as 4059 W. North. The phone number was AL 2-7000.
I guess that didn’t come out right. I was suggesting the library as a safe haven, not one prone to tool-yanking, as one contributor so eloquently stated above.
I try to steer clear of any venue where there is a likelihood of the above. The public library comes to mind.
An ad in the Bridgeport Telegram in November 1947 shows the Astor with the addendum “Formerly Capitol”. The feature was “Desert Fury” with Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott and Mary Astor. The co-feature was “Seven Keys to Baldpate”. I have no clue what that film was about.
There was an ad for Warner-Merritt in the 11/18/47 edition of the Bridgeport Telegram. The feature was “That Hagen Girl”, a creepy film starring Ronald Reagan and Shirley Temple. At the end of the movie, you can’t figure out if Ron is her father or her boyfriend.
Here is a photo from Getty Images:
http://tinyurl.com/sf823
Unlike Pavarotti, whose only film in 1981 was a dud.
Here is some additional information:
http://tinyurl.com/ye7lzr
Here is some additonal information:
http://tinyurl.com/yl2pta
Here is some additional information:
http://tinyurl.com/yf2ubt